7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A man writes, lives and loves in darkness. Fourteen years before, he was in a brutal car crash on the island of Lanzarote. In the accident, he not only lost his sight, he also lost Lena, the love of his life. This man used two names: Harry Caine, a playful pseudonym with which he signs his literary works, stories and scripts, and Mateo Blanco, his real name, with which he lives and signed the films he directed. After the accident, Mateo Blanco reduces himself to his pseudonym, Harry Caine. If he can't direct films he can only survive with the idea that Mateo Blanco died on Lanzarote with his beloved Lena. In the present day, Harry Caine lives thanks to the scripts he writes and to the help he gets from his faithful former production manager, Judit García, and from Diego, her son, his secretary, typist and guide. Since he decided to live and tell stories, Harry is an active, attractive blind man who has developed all his other senses in order to enjoy life, on a basis of irony and self-induced amnesia. He has erased from his biography any trace of his first identity, Mateo Blanco. One night Diego has an accident and Harry takes care of him (his mother, Judit, is out of Madrid and they decide not to tell her anything so as not to alarm her). During the first nights of his convalescence, Diego asks him about the time when he answered to the name of Mateo Blanco, after a moment of astonishment Harry can't refuse and he tells Diego what happened fourteen years before with the idea of entertaining him, just as a father tells his little child a story so that he'll fall asleep. The story of Mateo, Lena, Judit and Ernesto Martel is a story of amour fou, dominated by fatality, jealously, the abuse of power, treachery and a guilt complex. A moving and terrible story, the most expressive image of which is the photo of two lovers embracing, torn into a thousand pieces.
Starring: Penélope Cruz, Lluís Homar, Blanca Portillo, José Luis Gómez, Rubén OchandianoDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 78% |
Romance | 38% |
Melodrama | 13% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or award at last year's Cannes Film Festival, Pedro Almodovar's "Los abrazos rotos" a.k.a "Broken Embraces" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox-UK. Amongst the supplemental features on the disc are: the short film "La concejala antropofaga"; a short segment showing Pedro Almodovar directing Matteo Blanco's film, with Penelope Cruz following his instructions; deleted scenes; and more. With imposed English subtitles. Region-B "locked."
Alone
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Pedro Almodovar's Broken Embraces arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox-UK.
This is a strong high-definition transfer -- fine object detail is very pleasing, clarity excellent and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. What impresses the most, however, is the color-scheme. Blues, greens, yellows, browns, blacks and especially reds look fantastic. While watching Broken Embraces, I kept thinking how incredible All About My Mother would look in 1080p.
Many of the outdoor scenes look warm and natural, and at the same time notably fresh. The indoor scenes are noise-free. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern. I did not spot any stability issues to report in this review either. Finally, the high-definition transfer is free of annoying specks, scratches, debris, or dirt. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English Descriptive Audio 2.0. For the record, the English subtitles are imposed (and therefore can not be turned off). They also split the image frame and the black bar below it.
The Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track boasts some excellent surround effects - a lovely fading guitar solo, a gentle breeze, even Penelope Cruz's irregular breathing while making love to Ernesto in the summer villa add a very unique flavor to the film. On the other hand, the dialog is crisp, clear and very easy to follow. It is also well balanced with Alberto Iglesias' lovely music score. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review. To sum it all up, while dynamically the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is unlikely to test the muscles of your audio system, it should impress you with its clarity and depth.
La concejala antropofaga - "The Anthropophagous Councilor" is a short film about one of the colorful characters in Broken Embraces. I am not going to describe it for you. Prepare to laugh your socks off! In Spanish, with imposed English subtitles. (8 min).
Deleted Scenes - three deleted scenes. In Spanish, with imposed English subtitles. (4 min).
Directing girls and suitcases - a short segment showing Pedro Almodovar directing Matteo Blanco's film, with Penelope Cruz following his instructions. In Spanish, with imposed English subtitles. (6 min).
Trailer - the original UK theatrical trailer. In Spanish, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min).
Photo Gallery -
Most of Pedro Almodovar's early films, including All About My Mother and Live Flesh, are already out on Blu-ray in Spain. Let's hope that this is the year when Sony Pictures Classics bring them to Blu-ray in North America. The Viva Pedro boxset the studio released a couple of years ago would be incredible to have on Blu-ray. In the meantime, don't miss Broken Embraces. It looks gorgeous and sounds fantastic. Classic Almodovar! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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